Valentino Rossi decided to kill two birds with one stone today, he held an impromptu press conference in English while a large crowd had him pinned to a wall.

He commented on various subjects:

On title rival Dani Pedrosa's decision to abandon the event

"For me it was a good decision. Because the problem in his hand is one thing but also he has a problem with the tires. Risk the hand injury for 3-4 points is a big risk. When you make this decision it s just your heart that decide. Especially when the situation on the bike is out of control. This is a very (hard) racetrack: a lot of bumps, changes of direction and change of level. A flat track would be an easier place to ride with a fracture."

Is Pedrosa out of the championship?

"For me he is not out of the championship because he has something like seven races after Laguna. So he still has a chance.

I followed him yesterday and in the morning he was struggling. In the afternoon not so much. He was quite good in the afternoon. but 3-4 laps is one thing and race distance is another.

On the next USGP, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

I am curious to understand the track. The other guys say there is a grip problem in the first part. It is a fantastic place with a great history but we need make this new track as good as the old one.

On not being mobbed in America when away from the track

Here it is different because nobody know me. It is a strange feeling but good. Very nice to get away.

Why he re-signed with Yamaha

The relationship with the team made the difference in re-signing. I have a good relationship with Yamaha, from Fujiwara to Lin Jarvis to my crew with Jeremy Burgess and many of my crew with me for many years. It's a perfect situation. I see a great effort from Yamaha to improve the M1 this year. We are competitive.

Can he snare the pole today in MotoGP qualifying at Laguna Seca?

The pole is not impossible, but the front row is the goal.